Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s Wedding, 2024
A spring gala in Jamnagar, a Mediterranean cruise, a sangeet with Justin Bieber and a Hindu ceremony that ran past midnight in Mumbai. The most talked-about wedding of 2024, event by event.
The wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant was not a single event but a season. It began in March 2024 in Jamnagar, Gujarat, moved to a cruise ship in the Mediterranean in May, returned to Mumbai for a string of ceremonies in July, and ended with a reception attended by heads of industry, film stars and former prime ministers. The family never disclosed what it cost. What it produced, beyond headlines, was a rare public display of the full sequence of a traditional Gujarati Hindu wedding, from haldi to vidaai, dressed by India’s leading couturiers.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, July 12, 2024 (Shubh Vivah), followed by a blessing ceremony and reception that weekend |
| Place (ceremony) | Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai |
| Reception | Mangal Utsav, Mumbai, the weekend after the wedding |
| The dress (designer) | Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla (wedding-day ghagra); other looks by Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna and others |
| Guests | Included Kim and Khloé Kardashian, John Cena, Nick Jonas, Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and John Kerry |
The couple
Anant Ambani, born in 1995, is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and Asia’s richest man, and a graduate of Brown University. Radhika Merchant, born in 1994, is the daughter of Viren Merchant, chief executive of Encore Healthcare, and studied at New York University.
The celebrations before the wedding
Jamnagar, March 2024. The first gathering, in Jamnagar, Gujarat, drew about 1,200 guests. Rihanna gave a full performance, and Diljit Dosanjh also performed.
The cruise, May 2024. About 800 guests boarded a cruise ship for four days between Italy and the south of France, with a stop in Portofino. Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys and Pitbull performed on board, and Andrea Bocelli sang for the couple in Portofino.
Mumbai, July 2024. Before the wedding itself came a mass wedding organized by the family for couples from low-income households, a mehendi, the haldi, and a sangeet on July 5 at which Justin Bieber performed.
The ceremony
The Shubh Vivah took place on Friday, July 12, at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. It followed Hindu and Gujarati rites, including the pheras, in which the couple circle a sacred fire seven times while a priest recites the vows in Sanskrit. The ceremony finished after midnight. The next day came the Shubh Aashirwad, at which elders blessed the couple, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and then the Mangal Utsav, the reception. For how rituals like these compare with other traditions, see wedding traditions around the world.
The dress
For the wedding Radhika Merchant wore an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla ghagra in the Gujarati panetar tradition: layered ivory with red borders, detailed zardozi cutwork and a detachable trail, with a five-meter tissue veil. The stylist was Rhea Kapoor, and her jewelry included an antique polki choker with diamonds and emeralds, a family heirloom from her sister.
Her other looks were equally considered. For the haldi, Anamika Khanna made a yellow lehenga with a dupatta made from fresh flowers; for the vidaai, the bride’s farewell to her family, Manish Malhotra made a red Banarasi brocade lehenga. For more bridal couture, see our guide to celebrity wedding dresses.
The reception
The guest list mixed Bollywood, sport, business and politics. Kim and Khloé Kardashian flew in, as did John Cena, Nick Jonas, the former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, the former US climate envoy John Kerry and Saudi Aramco’s chief executive, Amin Nasser. Many of India’s film stars attended too.
Why it mattered
The wedding offered the world an unusually complete view of a multi-day Indian wedding and the craftsmanship behind it, from zardozi embroidery to fresh-flower jewelry. It also drew criticism. Traffic restrictions around the venue caused long jams for Mumbai residents, and the scale of the spending prompted public debate about inequality in India.
Borrow the idea
Give each ceremony its own look. A multi-day wedding does not need a new couture gown for every event, but choosing a distinct color for each (yellow for haldi, red or ivory for the wedding) gives the photographs a clear story.
Borrow a family jewel. An heirloom from a sister, mother or grandmother connects the bride to her family better than anything new.
Use real flowers as accessories. A dupatta or garland of marigold and jasmine is beautiful, fragrant and, unlike couture, within reach. Ask your florist to make it the morning of the event; see choosing a florist.
Include the wider community. Donating to or sponsoring a local cause in honor of the wedding keeps the celebration generous. Our registry guide covers charity registries.
Written and edited by the Today’s Weddings editors. How we research and check what we publish is set out in our editorial standards. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
